Category: SOLDIERS – MEMORIAL DAY

“I Weep For Those…” was a poem that I wrote on the night of May 30, 2004, as I watched Andy Rooney of 60 Minutes acknowledge and pay tribute to the soldiers who had died in the Iraq War. During Mr. Rooney’s commentary, the faces, the names, the ages of 800 plus soldiers illuminated the TV screen and their spirits and souls glowed with so much light until I felt as if I were on holy ground. As I was watching the commentary and writing the poem, I literally was in tears. I could not even begin to imagine the depth of loss and of pain that so many families were experiencing and dealing with.

Over the past thirteen years, I have only shared this poem with few. This Memorial Day, May 29, 2017, I have decided to share and publish this poem in hope that someone will find some comfort in reading it.

I am truly grateful for the huge sacrifice that all soldiers throughout the years have made. Their lives, their sacrifices, and their memories should never be forgotten. God bless each and every man and woman who gave their lives for a better United States of America and God bless their families who miss them, and love them.

I Weep For Those…

who have died in the war
800 plus of them so far
I cried over each and every one of them

As their faces
graced the TV screen,
and as their souls
glowed with luminous light,
knowing that they
had died in a fight,
in keeping me, and you, alive,
and protecting freedom for freedom’s sake
Yes, I am humble and grateful.

I cannot begin to imagine the grief unspoken,
or grief that cannot be put into words

Mothers without sons
Fathers without daughters
Wives without husbands
Husbands without wives

Someone special has died.
And in lamentations, I cried.

What do you do when a loved one dies?
Whether in war, on the streets, in the air, or at home, or in cold places unknown

The answer can be a difficult one, especially,
when there appears not to be a solution for:

The tears that flow like a river at night
The pain that grips the heart all tight
The arms that cannot hold one’s loved one quite,
like before.

In times of loss,
I pray that my faith gets me through my darkest hours.
In times of loss,
I hold on to the beautiful memories my loved one left behind.
In times of loss,
I miraculously discover a strength within myself that I didn’t know was there.

And from that strength, I realize:
I will survive.
I will heal.
I will love, again.

And as long as I am alive,
my loved one still
lives
within the precious memories that occupy my soul.

In memory of all the soldiers who died, I cried,
because someone very, very, very special has died.

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